Wednesday, February 1st

Romney claims decisive victory "Bolstered by superior resources and a relentlessly aggressive style, Mitt Romney won a decisive victory in the Florida primary, dealing a major setback to principal rival Newt Gingrich."

Washington Post

Syria is used to the slings and arrows "The violence grows worse. The Arab League throws up its hands in despair. Madame Clinton may huff and puff at the United Nations. But the Syrian regime and the stalwarts of the old Baath party don't budge. Only the Arabs are unsurprised." (Robert Fisk)

The Independent

Hope, anxiety and life in a changing Burma "For its first few years of its existence, Naypyidaw was barred to foreign visitors. What images emerged showed luxury hotels, military parade grounds, and empty mega-highways - a project of megalomaniacal scope."

The Atlantic

Made better in Japan "He stops making espressos at an early hour each day, claiming that the spike on the power grid after that time precludes drawing the voltage required for optimal pressure. Such obsessive - some might say insane - pursuit of perfection, in coffee and cuisine, clothes and comforts, isn't unusual in Japan."